8. The Capabilities Approach and Animal Entitlements

Abstract

Humans encounter and use animals in a stunning number of ways. The nature of these animals and the justifiability or unjustifiabilitly of human uses of them are the subject matter of this volume. Philosophers have long been intrigued by animal minds and vegetarianism, but only around the last quarter of the twentieth century did a significant philosophical literature begin to be developed on both the scientific study of animals and the ethics of human uses of animals. This literature had a primary focus on the discussion of animal psychology, the moral status of animals, the nature and significance of species, and a number of practical problems. The Oxford Handbook of Animal Ethics is designed to capture the nature of the questions as they stand today and to propose solutions to many of the major problems. Several articles in this volume explore matters that have never previously been examined by philosophers. The articles explore many theoretical issues about animal minds and an array of practical concerns about animal products, farm animals, hunting, circuses, zoos, the entertainment industry, safety-testing on animals, the status and moral significance of species, environmental ethics, the nature and significance of the minds of animals, and so on. They also investigate what the future may be expected to bring in the way of new scientific developments and new moral problems.